Articles

When I reflect on the incidents last week involving students who wore offensive shirts with anti-Muslim statements on them in Gainesville, Florida, I cannot help but to think of Jonathan Swift’s quote, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” I don’t agree with Swift, though. All we have to do is observe how no local company in Gainesville, Florida would agree to print the T-shirts.

Monica Edwards taught a class of primarily African American and Latino students. Her initial inability to reach them turned into a lesson.

Making a space where teachers can talk about difference.

"There’s nothing wrong with the way your grandparents talk,” my elementary school teachers used to say. “Standard English is different. Not better or worse. It’s just a way of talking that you need to know.”

For one family, finding a kindergarten classroom meant getting honest about race, class and privilege.

She was always smarter than the curriculum allowed her to be. Now one Miami student is showing future teachers how to keep students engaged.

Kawania Wooten’s voice tightens when she describes the struggle she’s having at the school her son attends. When his class created a timeline of civilization, Wooten saw the Greeks, the Romans and the Incas. But nothing was said about Africa, even though the class has several African American students.

Zero tolerance policies were supposed to end school violence. Instead, they’re pushing students out of school and into the justice system — and children of color are paying the highest price.

Using Barack Obama's historic speech on race in the classroom.

Lilia E. Sarmiento, a scholar and expert in biliteracy, shares a personal story about the challenges and joys — and ultimate effectiveness — of bilingual education.